Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman conducted talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian capital of Moscow on Tuesday. They discussed the ways to improve bilateral relations during the coming period, stressing that they agreed to handle the oil crisis together during the coming period.
During the meeting Prince Mohammed told Putin that there were no contradictions between Saudi Arabia and Russia regarding the oil market and that even though a lot has been achieved there is a lot of work still to do.
Putin reiterated the importance of the energy markets for the two nations and welcomed the Kingdom for its cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC members. The Russian leader said that relations with Saudi Arabia are developing pretty successfully. He stressed that Moscow waits the visit of Saudi King Salman Bin Abdel Aziz in the near future.
Moscow and Riyadh have so far backed opposing sides in the six-year war, with Saudi Arabia supporting the opposition and Russia propping up President Bashar Al Assad. Although opposition and government negotiators have failed to reach a deal, there are hopes that foreign powers will be able to force a settlement.
Despite the failure to reach a peace deal, evacuation agreements on the ground in Syria are being carried out in some besieged areas. On Monday, more than 1,000 people left the opposition-held Barzeh neighborhood of Damascus for another opposition territory.
The Saudi crown prince’s trip to Moscow comes after last week’s visit by US President Donald Trump to Riyadh in what was his first official trip abroad. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is due to head to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku this week.
In the same context, ­­ Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak met with his visiting Saudi counterpart Khalid Al­Falih in Moscow on Monday. During the meeting, they discussed ways of promoting and developing bilateral cooperation in the field of technology, the Russian Energy Ministry said in a press statement.
Both sides also considered the current developments of the global oil market, as the Russian side pointed to the willingness of Russian oil companies to be active in the Saudi market, it added.
The Russian minister said cooperation between Moscow and Riyadh in the output cut field has opened a fresh chapter of cooperation between OPEC and non­OPEC countries, it added. Novak pointed to Russian interest in carrying out joint ventures in Saudi Arabia, including research centers and oil services.